5 Tips to Prevent Sports-Related Injuries
December 3, 2019
Henry Ford Health System
Participating in sports provides so many benefits to kids and teens. There are the obvious benefits of physical fitness and promoting regular exercise. Then, there are also the character-building lessons learned from being part of a team, working hard toward a goal, celebrating tough competition and gracefully accepting defeat. But sports don’t come without some risk.
Sports-related injuries are the leading cause of emergency room visits for kids ages 12-17, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
These injuries impact twice as many males as females. Not surprisingly, contact sports also have higher injury rates. Football, basketball, baseball and soccer account for roughly 80 percent of all sports-related emergency room visits for children.
Sports injuries depend on the age of the athlete and the type of sport played, according to Bridget McArdle, D.O., a Henry Ford pediatrician. Generally, she says, sports injuries are divided into two groups: injuries from overuse like strains and tendonitis, and acute injuries such as concussions, fractures and tears.
The teen years pose special hazards, too. The adolescent growth spurt places teens at higher risk for injuries.
“The growth plates could still be open, which increases the risk for damage,” Dr. McArdle says. “This can lead to long-term problems.”
5 Important Injury Prevention Tips
Fortunately, many sports-related injuries can be prevented — the CDC estimates that as many as half of them could be avoided.
Here are Dr. McArdle’s tips for injury prevention for parents and coaches:
1. Ease into training. It’s important to start gradually in order to decrease the chance of sports injuries. “When you train too quickly at full peak, you are more likely to get hurt. Ease into it – and don’t overdo it,” says Dr. McArdle.
2. Cross train. Changing up the way your child trains is one way to help prevent sports injuries. “Taking a break from one sport to play another is important,” she recommends. Training a different way and using different muscles decreases the strain placed on the same body parts. Practicing gentle stretching exercises such as yoga or Pilates can also help, she adds.
3. Use the right equipment. Everything from the proper shoes and appropriate, properly fitted safety gear for the particular sport are essential for minimizing the risk of injury, as well.
4. Avoid excessive heat. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends young athletes avoid heat illness by wearing light clothing and drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise or play. Coaches should decrease or stop practices during high heat or high humidity periods.
5. Take time to recover. If a sports injury does occur, taking time to recover is very important. Returning to play too soon increases the risk of making the injury worse, and increases the chance of long-term consequences. “Make sure the injury is completely healed before returning. Don’t allow your child to play through pain,” advises Dr. McArdle.
If you have questions or concerns about your child’s readiness to play, be sure to get a sports physical and talk with your pediatrician or primary care provider.
Dr. Bridget McArdle is a board-certified pediatrician, seeing patients at Henry Ford Medical Center – Sterling Heights.
Want to learn more? Henry Ford Health System sports medicine experts are treating the whole athlete, in a whole new way. From nutrition to neurology, and from injury prevention to treatment of sports-related conditions, they can give your athlete a unique game plan.
Visit henryford.com/sports or call (313) 972-4216 for an appointment within 24 business hours.
Timeout to Appreciate Officials
September 23, 2013
By Kevin Wolma
Hudsonville athletic director
Wolma is in his third school year as athletic director at Hudsonville and previously coached basketball and golf. Below is a recent “30-second timeout” he wrote for the Hudsonville district newsletter.
We were five seconds away from one of the greatest upsets in the history of Caledonia basketball.
During the regular season, South Christian had beaten us by more than 30 points on two different occasions. The District Finals became the site for the third contest between the two schools on a warm March day.
We were able to slow them down just enough to stay within striking distance until late in the fourth quarter, when we finally took the lead for the first time. South Christian had one last chance with seven seconds left on the clock. After a timeout, they in-bounded the ball from the sideline and their player forced up a shot. I could see it was going to be short from my viewpoint, and my heart began to race with adrenaline as I could sense the impossible was going to become possible.
What happened next has stuck with me for the rest of my life, as one of the South Christian players pushed one of our players in the back, grabbed the rebound, and put the ball in the basket with one second left.
Game over. South Christian wins the District championship.
For the next eight years as a varsity basketball coach, I held a grudge against officials for that one call. Twelve years later, after I was done coaching, I went back and watched the game over again for the first time. I almost turned the video off when they in-bounded the ball in those last seven seconds because I did not want to relive that moment and the ensuing emotions that took place.
While watching I discovered something.
The South Christian player did not shove my player as much as I thought, and our players did not box out like I had thought, which made it easier for them to get the rebound and score. Looking back, did I even tell my players to box out during that last timeout before the ball was in-bounded?
At that moment it became very clear to me that what we see during a game may be clouded because we want our team to gain every advantage and every call in order for them to be successful. Perception is not reality. Officials are human. They will make mistakes just like the coaches and players do during a game.
There still has never been a game that has been decided by an official. Some people will say that the Class B Semifinal boys basketball game (in 2010) was decided on an official’s call when they ruled one of Forest Hills Northern’s player's foot was on the line on his last-second shot when in reality his foot clearly was behind the line. That call cost them a chance to play in the (MHSAA) Finals.
Coach Steve Harvey was quoted in the paper as saying, "We had opportunities to take care of the game before it even came down to that shot.” In the moment it seemed like that one play cost Forest Hills Northern the game, but there were over 50 possessions on offense and defense that preceded the play and potential outcome.
Having the opportunity to spend time with officials inside the locker room has made it very evident they are serious about their jobs and calling the best game they can. I have had requests from officials to have a monitor available to break down film an hour and a half before their contest begins to see strengths and weaknesses in their placement and mechanics from prior contests. I have had officials upset at halftime or after a game because they realized they made a mistake. I have had officials contact me personally after a game to apologize for a call made during the contest.
In the business world and also in education we use the word collaboration a lot. Officials collaborate before, during, and after every contest to garner more knowledge so they can continue to improve.
This is not even their full time job. Officials do what they do because they love the game and want to give back to the sport that made an impact on them.
The next time we are at a game and we think the officials missed a call, let’s take a 30-second timeout to gather our emotions so we do not say anything we will regret later. Instead let’s spend our energy cheering on our teams to be the best they can be.